One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. He has written several wrestling biographies including Freddie Blassies The Legends of Wrestling, Ric Flairs To Be The Man, "Superstar" Billy Grahams Tangled Ropes,and the unreleased biography of The Iron Sheik which, despite being chockful of stories that would be sure to make your jaw drop, will never see the light of day. However, Blassie said he would toss his drink in the sand if he didnt drink it, so Lanny took the offer. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). In the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . Professional wrestler Freddie Blassie, who became a cult figure for fans by playing the villain inside the ring during the 1950s and 1960s, has died. "Classy" Freddie Blassie also made a cameo appearance as himself, along with "Wrestling's Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair in the 1986 film Body Slam starring Dirk Benedict, "Captain" Lou Albano, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. , money, salary, income, and assets. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Because of his close relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. and his family, Blassie remained on the WWF payroll until the day he died. After a move to the West Coast, he tried a different promotional scheme -- that of a villain. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms In 1973, knee problems largely forced Blassie to stop wrestling personally, though he occasionally donned the tights to tag-team with one of his heels, as he did in Madison Square Garden in June 1974, teaming with the hulking Nikolai Volkoff to face then-champ Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow in a tag team match (Blassie was forced to submit for the final fall by a Bruno bearhug, and the fans almost tore the Garden's roof off). This film article about a 1980s comedy is a stub. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. The two of them had a great relationship off-camera, but because kayfabe was well and truly protected during this time in the business unless you were on the inside, you never were to know that a heel and face got along in real life. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. [21] The segment featured Blassie, his wife, and Raw co-General Manager Eric Bischoff, who was about to allow 3 Minute Warning to attack him, until Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Dudley Boyz stepped in. Blassie claims that he made Regis Philbin into the celebrity he is today. Blassie got involved when he threw his cane into the ring, with Sheik and Volkoff using it to their advantage to gain the victory. Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. Blassie later challenged Morales for the WWWF Championship, but came up short. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms were too short. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. In the 1950s, Fred Blassie was hands down the most hated wrestler in the southeastern territory. However, Miyako Blassie, surviving wife of the legendary "Classy" Freddie Blassie, is offering that chance as the WWE Hall of Famer's Lincoln Town Car becomes available on WWE Auction. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. After managing Sheik through a brief feud with Andre the Giant, he also became the manager of Nikolai Volkoff, with Sheik and Volkoff later becoming a tag team. During these runs, hed take part in a couple of title feuds for the WWE Championship, challenging Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s and Pedro Morales in the 1970s, not to mention coming after Bobo Brazils US Heavyweight Title. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". The defendants had a duty to provide reasonably safe conditions for its customers, the suit charges. That year, Blassie was forced to retire from in-ring competition, as a California by-law forbade wrestling licenses for anyone upon reaching 55 years old. KyleEnjoysWrestling wrote on 30.07.2019: [ 9.0] "People mostly know Blassie for his manager roles, but he was also a pro in the ring. He held his WWA World title for 289 days and thanks to WWAs alliance with Japan, in particular the Japan Wrestling Alliance (JWA) headed by puroresu icon Rikidozan, Blassie would not only help introduce Japanese pro wrestling to the U.S. market but help validate it in Japan as well. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 February. Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. A third-generation wrestling fan and senior writer for World Wrestling Entertainment publications, Greenberg is the author of more than thirty nonfiction children's books, and has written for The New York . His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? . [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. [3][8][9], In 1960, Blassie returned to Strongbow's promotion in Los Angeles, where he was a big star for Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) of southern California, drawing many fans to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Following his 1986 on-camera retirement (he remained an executive for the WWE), still made occasional on-camera appearances since then, and his last came on "WWE Raw" in May, just a few weeks before his death (to promote his newly-released biography, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks"). In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). Lanny would state that Jerry Graham "had no business living the last 15 years of his life" due to his drinking problems. Freddie Blassie retired as an active wrestler in 1974 in part because of the difficulty of securing a wrestling license . [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. . is 6'(1.83m) . Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994]June 9, 1994 Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. In 1972, ten years after his last match in Japan with Rikidozans JWA, he returned to Japan and began working for Giant Babas All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. Credited with bringing a young Hulk Hogan into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in late 1979. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". Worldwide star. In 1973, knee problems largely forced Blassie to stop wrestling personally, though he occasionally donned the tights to tag-team with one of his heels, as he did in Madison Square Garden in June 1974, teaming with the hulking Nikolai Volkoff to face then-champ Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow in a tag team match (Blassie was forced to submit for the final fall by a Bruno bearhug, and the fans almost tore the Garden's roof off). [22], Filmed in 1982, My Breakfast with Blassie featured Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie eating at a Sambo's in Los Angeles. Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Lakers playoff hopes take another hit after comeback fades vs. Minnesota, Ducks strike with a pair of late power-play goals to defeat Canadiens, With Norman Powell out, Clippers are edged at Sacramento for fifth loss in a row, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 15 arrested across L.A. County in crackdown on fraudulent benefit cards, UCLAs senior trio has persevered in restoring the Bruins to national prominence, UCLA stuns top-seeded Stanford in Pac-12 womens basketball tournament semifinals, Harvard-Westlakes Bryce Rainer fires out 92-mph fastballs in first start since 2021, Hes taken the next step: How Boogie Ellis found his game as USCs point guard, Even after Gavin Lux injury, Andrew Friedman hints at patient approach with roster, Elliott: After trading away Jonathan Quick, Kings make more deals ahead of trade deadline, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. While writingThe Legends of Wrestling, Greenberg got to know Freddie Blassie quite well and mentioned in his appearance on The Genius Cast that Blassie really opened up to him. "I want you to get four Orange Juliuses for me, the girls, and you.". Blassie's interference at Wrestlemania 2 cost Volkoff his match with Kirchner, when the cane was grabbed by Kirchner instead of Volkoff. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. Blassie died of heart failure Monday On top of that, hed take on English legend Billy Robinson, WWE Champion Superstar Billy Graham, and legendary masked heel wrestler Destroyer. From there, he moved on to become a regular writer, contributor, and reporter for WWE. For Freddie Blassie, there was no question why he took on a villian's persona - he loved it. Tolos moved first to Vancouver, where he married his wife Ingrid in 1967 (they later divorced), then worked his way south until he reached Los Angeles. [9] However, they eventually consented and Miyako returned with Blassie to the United States; they were married on September 30, 1968. Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. Replying to. [8] He worked for Jack Pfefer, who he claimed would only employ people who looked like sideshow freaks at his shows, and whose wrestlers included Tor Johnson, who made movies with director Ed Wood, and Lillian Ellison, the Fabulous Moolah. Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. Born in 1918 to German parents who escaped World War I, Blassie took up boxing as a teenager, but found a growing interest in wrestling and actually snuck into matches, eventually befriending catch wrestlers and learning holds from them. Sadly, the gimmick was a bomb, and Blassie jumped around territories, including working in New York City for Jess McMahon (grandfather of Vince McMahon Jr.). He also starred in a 1983 movie called My Breakfast With Blassie, where he sat down for a meal with Andy Kaufman as a parody of the 1981 critically acclaimed film My Dinner With Andre. Before The Client List is an extension of our ongoing series, Before They Were Famous, which looks at wrestlers before they became internationally famous. Despite being a 7-year pro before his duty in World War II, Blassie was still a journeyman. Also learn how He earned most of Freddie Blassie networth? On a mid-July 2001 episode of Raw, the Invasion storyline was in full swing, and Blassie was brought in to motivate the WWE in the face of their ongoing war with the WCW/ECW Alliance. It is a mostly improvised parody of the art film My Dinner with Andre and is set in a Sambo's restaurant where Kaufman and Blassie have a discussion over breakfast. Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. Blassie. Gross tubs? Fred Blassie would meet his wife, a Japanese actress.. November 15, 1968: Fred Blassie defeated Buddy Austin in a "Stretcher" match in the Olympic Stadium.. the time, get up, stand up and fight. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he Keith Elliot Greenberg has been doing his part to preserve professional wrestling history for the past few decades. This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks (Wwe S) Paperback - February 1, 2004 by Keith Elliot Greenberg (Author) 115 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Hardcover $18.99 13 Used from $4.06 2 New from $38.98 1 Collectible from $15.00 Paperback [21] His final words on WWE television were "D-Von, get the table! He was 85.Mr. His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. [18][19] Blassie also appeared in the SummerSlam opening video. Freddie Blassie's net worth Many people close to him actually had no idea that he had children in the first place. Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. In the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. Take Linda McMahon, for instance. Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. RELATED: 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube DAVE KNOWS that Classy Freddie Blassie is a Pro Wrestling legend. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow [6] His knees were also in terrible condition, which also contributed to his retirement. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. Blassie, well-known for exaggerating a story or two, stated that when he was wrestling Rikidozan in Japan, 100 Japanese wrestling fans dropped dead of heart attacks because the matches were so gory. By the mid-1970s, Freddie Blassie was in his 50s and began to settle into a role as a manager in WWE, though he would still occasionally wrestle a match. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). But for nearly 40 years, Fred Blassie was an in-ring talent who ruled the West Coast, a multi-time World Champion, and one of the most feared villains in pro wrestling history. Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. Lanny was only 12 or 13-years-old at the time. [6] His cousin John Frank Holaus often refereed his matches. Despite Blassie not actually holding any titles to unify, his feud with Sammartino saw Bruno become a national hero, but in the process, Blassie became lifelong friends with another WWWF employee, Gorilla Monsoon. 2018 Remaster of Andy Kaufman on The Late Show w/ David Letterman w/ "Classy" Fred Blassie on February 23rd, 1983.More remastered Andy Kaufman - https://goo.. After Sheik lost the belt to Blassie's former managed wrestler Hulk Hogan, Blassie managed Sheik in various rematches around the country throughout the first half of 1984, culminating into another major televised rematch on December 28, 1984, once again in Madison Square Garden. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. In 1964, Blassie once again captured the WWA World title for the third time (again from Carpentier), but upon losing to Dick The Bruiser in April, he headed to the newly minted World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). Lanny stated that though Freddie Blassie never knew how to save his money well, he always had enough since he was never a drinker and saved a lot of money in that regard.
Adams County In Jail Inmate List,
Is The Air Force Achievement Medal A Big Deal,
Hp Laserjet P2055dn Driver Windows 10 64 Bit,
Articles F